When NASA’s airborne telescope was invaded by Tribbles, Nichelle Nichols was on-hand to keep them in check so the team could focus on with their observing run.

NASA brought Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols and a pack of educators as Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors on their Spetember 16, 2015 observing run on the SOFIA airborne telescope. The Ambassadors spent a night with the flying observatory in return for sharing their experiences with us. Also along for the ride? A small herd of Tribbles, the adorable fluffy aliens from Star Trek that bred so quickly they nearly engulfed a space station.

Correction: An earlier version of this article listed that SOFIA was on the chopping block, but not that it had received a funding reprieve. Looks like it’s going to be flying at least a little longer!

Top image: Nichelle Nichols with a small herd of tribbles. Credit: NASA